November 16th

Netanyahu tries to shore up support for US plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Josef Federman - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Despite seemingly premature congratulations from President Barack Obama, Israel's prime minister was scrambling Monday to secure enough Cabinet votes to pass a U.S. proposal to halt West Bank settlement construction for 90 days, aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. Benjamin Netanyahu is under heavy pressure to move forward with the plan, which could lead to critical negotiations on Israel's final borders with a future Palestine. » Read more

Plan for new Jerusalem housing project delayed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Gur Salomon - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- A plan to build new housing units in Gilo, a neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, has been put on hold indefinitely. Two local committees engaged in development projects in the Jerusalem area have decided to delay discussions on the plan to construct 1,300 units in Gilo, local daily Ha'aretz reported Monday. The decision is most likely made in response to a request from the Prime Minister's Office, which seeks to avoid a head-on clash with the United States over the approval of new residential projects in disputed areas of Jerusalem, the report said. » Read more

Netanyahu is fomenting revolution in the West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am Haaretz's report last week that there are no more Palestinian fugitives in Samaria sparked many responses from Palestinian groups and the Arab media. Once more the Palestinian Authority was accused of collaborating with Israel and trying to avoid a reconciliation with Hamas. » Read more

Israeli, Dubai police officials meet in UAE ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Daniel Doron - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am The diplomatic row between Israel and Dubai has not undermined relations between the two states' law enforcement apparatuses. Last week, Qatar hosted the annual Interpol General Assembly, which was attended by top law enforcement echelons from around the world. Israel, which also took part in the event, was represented by Head of the police investigations unit Major-General Yoav Segalovich and head of the police special assignment department Commander Guy Nir. » Read more

UNRWA Strike Closes Schools, Clinics in West Bank Camps ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am Garbage piles up, too, as labor action enters its second month; dispute gets personal Schools and clinics are shuttered, and garbage has been piling up on streets across the West Bank’s 19 refugee camps, as some 5,000 striking employees of the United Nations Works and Relief Agency (UNRWA) have brought critical public services to a halt in a pay dispute. » Read more

Israel 'risks chaos without peace', official warns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Ruth Gavison - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am The Palestinian leadership could fall apart without significant progress towards peace with Israel, which would be a major setback for Israel, a senior Israeli intelligence official has said. The situation in the West Bank was the best in over a decade, he said - but warned it could lurch back into chaos. The source was speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad were the "best combination", he said. » Read more

Israeli politics: A lurch to the right? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Wyre Davies - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am Joshua Sobol is one of Israel's most venerated and prolific playwrights. At 71, he is still very much involved in theatre - and politics. He recently took part in a boycott of a new theatre in Ariel - a long-established Jewish settlement built on occupied Palestinian land. Several leading Israeli actors and playwrights are joining the boycott. They say, it represents much of what is wrong with their country; the settlements, the treatment of Palestinians and growing intolerance. » Read more

An Expensive Bill ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali Ibrahim - November 16, 2010 - 1:00am My initial impression of the price that Israel will receive, in return for agreeing to new U.S. proposals to stop settlement construction for 90 days, is that it is an expensive bill. Modern military aircraft worth $3 billion, for free, political and security pledges to veto any Security Council resolution against Israel, and most importantly, this is a proposal to stop only the latest process of settlement construction. » Read more

Hamas' pragmatism is worth searching out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Mahmoud Jaraba - (Opinion) November 16, 2010 - 1:00am Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ political wing, told Newsweek on October 14 that “there is a position and program that all Palestinians share. To accept a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital. With the right of return. And this state would have real sovereignty on the land and on the borders. And with no settlements.” Meshaal noted that Hamas would accept any agreement with which a majority of Palestinians agreed, adding that “the American administration should hear from us directly.” » Read more

Middle East peace starts with development ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Chris Gunness - (Opinion) November 16, 2010 - 1:00am "Peace Starts Here" is more than a slogan. It raises challenging questions about peace itself at a time when the very notion of a just and durable peace is under threat and when the Middle East peace process needs all the support it can get from us, the humanitarian actors working on the ground. » Read more